Meaning & Origins

Transferred use of the surname, which originated as an occupational name denoting a clerk (Latin clericus), in the Middle Ages a man in minor holy orders who earned his living by his ability to read and write. It is recorded as a given name in Britain from the late 17th century onwards. Since the 1930s, when it was associated particularly with the film star Clark Gable (1901–60), it has been widely used as a given name, especially in North America.